Skill: Visual Motor

How the eyes and hands work together as a team. This is essential for tasks where movement is guided by vision, like catching a ball, cutting on a line, or staying within the lines when coloring.

Sticky Line Wall Art

Sticky Line Wall Art

Steps:

  • Secure the construction paper onto the sturdy cardboard base with masking tape.
  • Use masking tape to secure the cardboard vertically onto a wall or door at your child’s chest height.
  • Use the markers to draw a simple line, shape, or path onto the paper for your child to follow.
  • Challenge your child to hold the glue bottle. Squeeze firmly to trace a thick, continuous line of glue over the marker path.
  • Encourage your child to pick up the dry beans using only their thumb and pointer finger (pincer grasp).
  • Press the beans firmly into the wet glue line, following the shape until the entire path is covered. Press hard for heavy work!

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Dry beans are small, hard objects. They pose a significant choking hazard for children who still place items in their mouths.

Heavy Foil Rock Decorate

Heavy Foil Rock Decorate

Steps:

  • Tear off a sheet of aluminum foil. Encourage your child to use both hands to tear the resistant foil into a large, manageable piece.
  • Use maximum hand force to crumple and squeeze the foil tightly. Form a dense, hard 3D rock shape (the ‘foundation’). Squeeze hard for heavy work input.
  • Place the finished foil rock securely onto the piece of cardboard base. This acts as a stable work surface.
  • Use the glue bottle to squeeze several small, controlled dots of liquid glue onto the foil rock surface.
  • Pick up one dry bean using a precise pincer grasp (thumb and pointer finger).
  • Carefully aim the bean at a wet glue dot. Press the bean firmly onto the resistant foil surface. Repeat until the foil rock is covered in textured dots.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Dry beans and small, dense foil pieces pose a significant choking hazard for children who still place items in their mouths. Ensure materials are used only as intended.

Tissue Paper Rope Art

Tissue Paper Rope Art

Steps:

  • Use both hands to tear the tissue paper into long strips (about 1 inch wide). Place the finished strips in the plastic container.
  • Take one strip. Hold one end steady with your helper hand. Use your dominant hand to twist the paper tightly. Turn it into a stiff, resistant rope.
  • Use a marker to draw a simple shape or a winding path onto the construction paper base.
  • Squeeze the glue bottle to trace a thick line of glue over the marker path.
  • Carefully press the twisted paper rope onto the wet glue line. Continue twisting and gluing until the entire path is filled with the colorful rope.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Small pieces of tissue paper, if crumbled tightly, can be a choking hazard for children who still place objects in their mouths. Ensure materials are used only as intended.

Card Link Twister

Card Link Twister

Steps:

  • Use the marker to number 8 index cards sequentially from 1 through 8. This creates your chain links.
  • Use the hole puncher to create two holes at the top edge of each numbered card link.
  • Hold Card #1 steady with your helper hand. Push one bolt through each of the two punched holes.
  • Use your working hand to twist a nut firmly onto the end of each bolt. Practice using quick finger movements.
  • Now, take Card #2. Thread the exposed bolts from Card #1 through the holes in Card #2.
  • Twist two new nuts onto the exposed bolts to link the two cards securely together.
  • Continue this process, linking the numbered cards in order until you have created a long, flexible, and colorful chain.

Safety Tip:
Nuts and bolts are very small pieces. Ensure all materials are kept away from the mouth and supervised closely during assembly to prevent choking hazards.

Resistant Frame Weave

Resistant Frame Weave

Steps:

  • Adult Prep: Cut a sturdy square from the cardboard. Use the masking tape to wrap a dense, continuous layer around the entire perimeter of the square, sticky side OUT. Press the sticky tape firmly onto the cardboard base.
  • Place the cardboard frame on a stable table. Encourage your child to bend and straighten the pipe cleaners until they are stiff sticks.
  • Ask your child to hold the cardboard frame firmly steady with their helper hand to stabilize the base.
  • Using the working hand, aim the pipe cleaner tip at the narrow, sticky frame edge. Use a strong push and a twisting motion to thread the pipe cleaner all the way through the sticky tape layer.
  • Continue this pushing and weaving action until the entire sticky frame is filled with colorful, rigid pipe cleaners.

Safety Tip:
Constant and direct adult supervision is required. Pipe cleaners are small materials and pose a choking hazard for children who still place objects in their mouths. Adults must handle the scissors during preparation.